Masan Thakur - Part 2 : A Folk Pantheon of Cooch Behar.

         

Author: Biswarup Chatterjee.

According to the field survey conducted in various villages across the five subdivisions of Cooch Behar district, several significant and influential manifestations of the awakened folk deity Masan have been identified. For instance, we may cite the following examples. 

Gaḍkāṭā Masan:   

       One of the most prominent and ancient manifestations of the folk deity Masan in the Cooch Behar district is the "Gaḍkāṭā Masan." This Masan shrine is situated beside the paved road in the village of Alokjhari, under Gossanimaari-I Gram Panchayat of the Dinhata subdivision. The deity is enshrined in a west-facing brick temple with a tin roof on the left side of the Dinhata-Gosanimari National Highway, within the mentioned village. Revered as one of the oldest and most awakened forms of Masan in the district, Gaḍkāṭā Masan is worshipped by all and holds a significant place among the folk deities of North Bengal.

        According to local belief, this folk deity was consecrated during the destruction or dismantling of the ancient fort of Kamateshwar, king of Kamatapur. Hence, the deity is more widely known by the name "Gaḍkāṭā Masan." However, this ancient and revered manifestation of Masan is not only venerated in Cooch Behar but is also esteemed throughout North Bengal—where it is more popularly acclaimed as "Alokjhari Masan" rather than by the name "Gaḍkāṭā Masan." 

        Every year, from the 15th to the 31st of the Bengali month of Baisakh, a fifteen-day-long worship and fair is held in the courtyard in front of the main shrine of Masan. During this period, hundreds of devotees tie red flags to bamboo sticks and offer small earthen idols of Masan and pigs as part of their vows and rituals.

        In the open courtyard of the temple, the local officiating Brahmin (priest) bearing the title 'Adhikārī'.” performs the worship with offerings known as naibedya, which typically consist of ‘atiya banana’ (a special kind of banana), ‘ghotiya doi’ (curd made from raw milk set in earthen pots), and ‘chira’ (flattened rice), arranged in sets of three, five, or ten. While the votive rituals outside the temple are conducted by the officiating village Brahmin prist, the principal rituals of Gaḍkāṭā Masan inside the main shrine are performed by a ‘Sāstric’ (scripturally learned) Brahmin.

        People from all castes, creeds, and religions—including both local residents and devotees from distant towns and villages—come here on that particular day to the shrine during this period to fulfill their vows and offer worship. Although the entire month of Baisakh is considered an auspicious time for worship, Saturdays and Tuesdays are especially significant for vow-based rituals. 

        During the fifteen-day fair, goat and pigeon sacrifices are regularly performed in front of the temple. Some devotees even offer pigs in sacrifice as part of their vows. Due to the antiquity of this Masan deity and the spiritual significance attached to its name, the village itself has come to be widely known as "Masan Pāṭ." (Altar of Masan). 

Poḍā Māsān : 

         ‘Poḍā’ is a Bengali word, in English translation it becomes ‘burn’. This deity, known as Poḍā Masan, is worshipped by the Rabha and Rajbanshi communities of Bashraja village under Shalbarie 1 region in the Tufanganj sub-division Latitude: 26.356501° N Longitude: 89.692723° E. The principal worship of this Masan deity is held on the occasion of Ashokashtami (A Hindu festival observed on the eighth day (Ashtami Tithi) of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra (March–April). The name symbolizes the removal of sorrow. Devotees worship deities like Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga to dispel grief and negativity. The festival holds special importance in Odisha, especially at Bhubaneswar’s Lingaraj Temple, and is also observed in West Bengal and Assam with regional variations in rituals) in the Bengali month of Chaitra. The offerings include raw curd, flattened rice (chira), Atia bananas, and roasted sati fish. As this folk deity is believed to consume roasted fish (poṛa machh), the name Masan is attributed accordingly. 

Bheḍā Māsān : 

        Another notable Masan deity of this district is ‘Bheḍā Māsān’. The name derives from the fact that the deity’s mount (vahana) is a sheep (bheḍā). Located two kilometers from Bamanhat gram panchayat via Sahebganj Road from Dinhata subdivision headquarters, the shrine of deity is situated beside the Bhyangra Bridge in the village of Uttar Lauchapra, Latitude: 26.1292° N, Longitude: 89.4668° E. The west-facing tin-roofed structure houses the deity. The annual worship of this deity is held every year in the Bengali month of Magh (the tenth month of the Bengali calendar, corresponding roughly to mid-January to mid-February in the Gregorian calendar). 

Ṭasa Māsān : 

        The shrine of this deity is located beside the culvert on Moyna Dali Road, on the left bank of the Digoraru River in Dangboka village of Mathabhanga subdivision 26.3427° N, 89.2153° E). The mounts (vahana) of this Masan deity are a boar and a snakehead fish (shaal maach). The annual worship is held on the occasion of Raspurnima (a significant full moon festival in the Bengali calendar, deeply rooted in Vaishnavite tradition and celebrated with religious devotion in various parts of Bengal, especially in North Bengal, Assam, and Vrindavan which is sacred town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India, Figure 1 & 2).

                                                                   Figure 1 

                           (Courtesy: https://images.app.goo.gl/F7TY5Gjb5bYBrnJ58)

                                                                 Figure 2 

                 (Courtesy: https://images.app.goo.gl/JGuqvSybGFZd8Wa28)

Jaluyā Māsān : 

        In the Dhumdahpara area of Chamta village  Latitude: 26° 18′ 27″ N (26.3075° N), Longitude: 89° 39′ 14″ E (89.6539° E) under Sitai block, a Masan deity is worshipped on the occasion of Ashokashtami Snan (ritual bathing). His mount (vahana) here is the shol fish. Although the water-dwelling spirit Jalkawri is typically a female entity, in Cooch Behar she bears a strong resemblance to the male spirit deity Jaluya Masan.

      The person possessed by this spirit is compelled—usually in the dead of night or around midnight, while in a semi-conscious or dream-like state—to go fishing, being driven to take up a fishing rod, net, or spear and head toward the water. 

Ṣῡra Māsān : 

        This notable Masan deity is located at the northern edge of Cooch Behar town, in the area where the Dom community resides (The Dom community is particularly known for performing cremation rites at Hindu burning ghats (cremation grounds) —on the southern side of the road from Khagrabari to New Cooch Behar. The mount or vahana of this deity is a pig.

Oḍā Māsān :  

        This deity is enshrined in Trimohini village under the Dinhata subdivision. A special feature of this Masan is that villagers vow to offer needles and thread during the worship. Another unique aspect of the ritual is that it is conducted by a female shaman named Fuleshwari Ray.

Niṣkindā or Muḍiyā Māsān :  

        In addition, this deity is also worshipped under this name in many villages in a terrifying or grotesque form — headless, with eyes on the chest, standing upright, holding a mace and a dead child in his hands. Shrines dedicated to this Masan deity can be found in Thetar-Part village of Tufanganj subdivision, on the western side of Gosanimari Bazaar, in Machhuatari village of Natabari, and in Bamanhat.

        Shiva is the principal deity worshipped by all the villagers of Cooch Behar district, much like among the Rajbanshi and other indigenous communities of North Bengal. In Cooch Behar, this folk form of Shiva is worshipped under various names—such as Bura Thakur, Mahakal, Dangdhara, Gaburdeb, Madankam, and others.

        The Rajbanshi people of Cooch Behar, along with other communities, believe that deities like Mahakal, Sonarai, Dangdhara, Bhandani, Shaleshwari, and Gorakshanath are all tiger deities. While the worship of these deities is rooted in a fear of tigers, it may also be interpreted as an expression of the beliefs of ancient totemic and animistic communities. 

        In every village of the district, the priests who worship the village deities do not fall under the orthodox Brahmanical priestly system. Certain individuals from the local or indigenous communities perform priestly duties hereditarily. Across Cooch Behar, the worship of these folk deities and the performance of various religious rituals are carried out by a distinct group of social priests, divided into two main categories.

        One group is known as Patradhari—they wear tulsi leaves in their ears. The other group is called Chakradhari, so named because they wear a chakra (disc) made of copper. In Rajbanshi society, the right to perform worship as a Chakradhari is hereditary, and they are permitted to initiate disciples. While Chakradharis inherit their priestly titles through lineage, Patradharis usually carry family surnames such as Rai, Barman, and others.

        Apart from these authorized priestly classes, there are other priestly communities in the folk religious life of Cooch Behar—namely the Deusi or Debbongshi, the Ojha or Roja, the Bhongriya, and the Kirtaniya communities. The latter group, Kirtaniyas, are involved specifically in death-related rituals. They carry out all responsibilities associated with funeral rites, such as jibanchalan (soul transition rituals), griha shuddhi (house purification), and others.

        Members of the above-mentioned priestly communities sometimes enter a state of possession during rituals—locally referred to as ‘bhor otha’ (being possessed by the deity). In recent times, alongside these traditional priestly groups, Assamese Brahmins with the surname Sharma have also gained prominence. These Brahmins are held in deep reverence and devotion by the local Rajbanshi society of Cooch Behar.

        In many cases, the meanings of the name of these folk deities are obscure or difficult to interpret. While there is often the influence and dominance of Sanskrit, the language of the mantras used in the rituals is the local dialect. The villagers collectively or in groups worship these folk deities in open spaces within the village. 

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Reference: 

Ahamad, Khan Chaudhary Amanatulla. Kochbiharer Itihas. Vol. 1, Kochbihar State Press, 1990. Reprint.

Das, Biswanath, editor. Cooch Beharer Samaj o Samskriti. Edited by Biswanath Das, Anima Prakashani, Dec. 2014. ISBN: 978-93-83123-15-5.

Sanyal, Charu Chandra. The Rajbansis of North Bengal. Reprint ed., The Asiatic Society,2 002. Monograph Series no. 11. Originally published 1965.